Shuffled Songs, Shuffled Thoughts
by Prone To Obsession
Summary: iPod Shuffle Challenge.  10 short drabbles, variety of characters, variety of story types ranging from fluff to angst and everywhere in between.  Update:  I've added a little bit longer story based on one of the drabbles, per a request.
1. The Drabbles

_**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to the BBC. All hail our lords and masters!**_

_**Shuffle Challenge! **Put your iPod on shuffle. Whatever song comes on, write a short story about it. You have as long as the song is to write the story. Once the song ends, no looking back, no changing anything, and no rewinding! Make as many as you want, most people do ten. Remember-no looking back, even after you're done. No rereading, even when you're done. Oh, and have fun!** **_

**_A/N: I've placed the title/artist at the beginning of each drabble, with characters/setting just below that. R&R!_**

In The Sun by She & Him  
>Martha at the end of "Last Of The Time Lords"<p>

They stayed there on the waterfront for a long while after Jack left them, just soaking up the sun and enjoying the moment of peace. But Martha couldn't quite relax. She had hoped Jack would take up the Doctor's offer of traveling. It would have made it easier for her to leave. It was something she had been planning for probably the last six months. She loved the Doctor, but she knew she couldn't stay with him. She just had to figure out how to tell him. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She'd wait till later; for now, she just enjoyed the warmth of the sun.

All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know by The Ataris  
>Rose, mid-Christmas Invasion<p>

The Christmas lights blinked like twinkling stars across the council estate as Rose looked out from her balcony. She was so worried about the Doctor; she could barely even manage to call that man in the bedroom the Doctor. She wanted so badly to believe in him, that he would wake up and things would be okay; he would stop the aliens before they got to Earth, and everything would be the same as it was before. But as much as she wanted to believe in the Doctor, she couldn't when she didn't even know this brand new man who lay unconcious in her old bed. Whoever he was, she hoped he would wake up and know what to do, because she sure didn't.

Skintight by The Donnas  
>Amy, just after The Eleventh Hour (during the additional "Meanwhile In The TARDIS" scene, perhaps?)<p>

Amy couldn't help but notice how...well-fitted the Doctor's pants were. So much better than the Raggedy Doctor look. Sure, the bowtie threw the outfit off a bit, but even so...yeah, definitely better this way.

Staple It Together by Jack Johnson  
>Jack &amp; Eleven, 2 years post Torchwood: Children Of Earth<p>

Jack felt like he was a prisoner of his own past. He had been mourning his losses for almost two years. The shattered pieces of his former life lay at his feet, and he had refused to pick them up. He didn't feel like he deserved to. And then, one day, a chance meeting with the Doctor changed all that. He had punched the man in a bowtie and tweed jacket. He hadn't even realized how angry he was with the Doctor for not being there to help with the 456 until he saw him, grinning like an idiot. So he punched him. And then, he started crying. It was the first time Jack had cried in almost two years. And the Doctor sat in silence, letting Jack spill everything out, helping him pick up the pieces and staple them back together into something like his old life.

First Day Of The Rest Of Our Lives by MxPx  
>Rose, end of Doomsday<p>

Rose sat on Bad Wolf Bay, still crying over the unspoken words the Doctor had left hanging in the air. She missed him so much, even though she had seen and talked to him only minutes earlier. The forever that stretched out before her now was so heartbreaking. The first day of the rest of her life, and it was going to be without the Doctor. Sniffing and drying her eyes, she stood up and started back towards where her mum, Pete, and Mickey were still waiting. Because right then, she decided that, no, this wasn't the first day of the rest of her life without the Doctor. This was the first day of the rest of her life searching for the Doctor.

The Road by Frank Turner  
>Ten, after the Ood called for him and before he arrived at the beginning of End of Time<p>

North, South, East, West, Up, Down, all thorough time. The Doctor's choices were endless, and he was never more grateful for that. As long as he could remember, he was always trying to escape-even before he had any reason to want to escape. And now, after so much time and so many reasons for wanting to run, traveling was the only thing he knew. It was the only thing that kept him feeling alive. And so, he thought, maybe he could keep his song from ending-maybe he could give himself a little more time, if he just kept moving.

Love by Joby Talbot (Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Soundtrack)  
>You pick the characters &amp; time ;) Will work with a lot of pairings.<p>

The Doctor had one simple rule when it came to companions. Love: Avoid, if at all possible. It was a good rule, and he never had any trouble following it. At least not until HER. Slowly but surely, he found himself bending the rule, until it broke right in half. And then, of course his hearts followed suit.

Simple Kind Of Life by No Doubt  
>Donna, end of Forest Of The Dead<p>

All Donna had ever wanted was a simple life; a good husband, maybe a couple of kids. And then she had met the Doctor. And she thought that she had traded in that dream for something so much better. She thought she was beyond wanting that simple life. But there, in the Library, in the computer program she was trapped in, she had reverted right back to that simple life. And she had been happy-so happy. When she was brought out of the program and realized that it had all been basically like a dream, she found her heart breaking just like it did when she had lost Lance all those months ago. Donna loved her life with the Doctor, but for the first time in her travels, she wondered if she had made a mistake giving up a simple kind of life.

Marry Me by Train  
>Rose &amp; 10.5 in the parallel world<p>

Lifetimes ago, in a different universe, when he was a different man, she had said she was going to stay with him forever. He knew then, the same way he knew now, that forever would never be long enough for him. Now, with his new human body, forever was even shorter. But it didn't matter; however long they had, he knew he needed her there with him. The words caught in his throat, and he had to try twice before any noise would come out: "Marry me."

Stickshifts and Safety Belts by Cake  
>TenRose, no particular episode

In the past, companions had asked him, especially after a particularly rough landing, why he didn't have proper jump seats with safety belts in the TARDIS. He claimed that getting jostled about was part of the fun. As the time machine jolted to a stop, Rose tumbled headlong, knocking him down in the process, and she landed on top of him, her face inches away from his. Yes, he thought, getting jostled about was definitely a big part of the fun.


	2. Marry Me

**Author's Note: Written for Blink33Gal; I don't know if this is what you had in mind. The story kind of took on a mind of it's own and did not end up where I originally intended, but I kind of like it. Anyway, here's a bit of a story based (somewhat loosely) on Train's "Marry Me"; expanded from the drabble in the original chapter.**

Most would argue that he was the anomalous one in the relationship-he was the Doctor, but not; he was new but old. But what most people didn't realize was, the same was true of Rose. She was new, but old; the same, but different. This fact was never more obvious to him than in ordinary, everyday situations like this-sitting in the out-of-the-way cafe that had become their favorite lunch spot, she was biting her lip as she read over the menu. She had stopped bleaching her hair a few months back, and her dark, dirty blonde tresses perfectly framed her slender face. He remembered Cassandra on New Earth, so long ago, calling Rose a chav, and he wondered what she would think of the mature, sophisticated woman sitting before him now.

Just then, Rose glanced up and saw John staring at her from across the table. She smiled one of those smiles that always made his heart melt, her tongue just poking out from behind her teeth. "Dr. Noble," she teased, "You're meant to be studying the menu, not me." John grinned back at her. She had grown up and changed a lot in the five years (for her) since they had been separated, but she still was and always would be his same old Rose.

"You, Rose Tyler," he accused, "Are not half conceited. I was deep in thought about a great many important things, and you just happened to be in my line of sight. That's all."

Rose smiled again, and arched her eyebrow as if to say "Yeah right," but before she could question him further, the waiter came by to take their order, and she pursued the topic no further. After the waiter left, they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Rose stared out the window, and John let his head fall so he was staring at the table. When he finally spoke again, his voice was quiet and his tone was serious. "Do you remember when we took you to see the flying Mantas of Rakton 7?" He tended to use the pronoun "we" when referring to his pre-metacrisis self; the philisophical implications of identity were easier to deal with that way.

Rose was startled by his question, and she turned to look at him, taking his hand in hers as she answered. "Yeah, I remember. You asked me how long I was gonna stay with you. I said forever." She paused slightly, still unsure of why he was bringing this up. After a moment, she added, "I still mean it, you know."

"Yeah. I know. But you see, that's the problem." He was staring straight into her eyes now, and though her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he carried on before she could get the wrong idea. "Forever isn't long enough for me, Rose. Certainly not this one life we've got. But, I guess it'll have to do, won't it?"

Rose's eyes shone as she nodded silently. They had had a rough road after being left together in Pete's World, and it had taken a long time for them to really fall properly in love with each other as they were. But they had, and Rose never tired of hearing John express his feelings; something the Time Lord Doctor would never be able to do.

"I just want to..." John stumbled to find the words, gesturing with his hands to show the magnitude of his emotions. "I just want to..." finally, he realized exactly what it was he wanted to do. "Marry you."

Rose visibly jumped at his words. "What?"

"That's what I want to do."

"What?" she repeated, vaguely aware that she was sounding like the man in front of her usually did.

"Rose Marion Tyler," he got up from the table and lowered himself to one knee. "Will you marry me?"

"WHAT?" she said one last time, unable to stop the smile from spreading across her face.

John mirrored her smile as he wiggled his head and gave an adorably unnecessary explanation. "Marriage. It's a human tradition, with rings and flowers. You wear white. I wear...well, I can't wear my unlucky tux. I'll wear..." he paused, and then, obviously pleased with his own clever pun, smirked as he continued, "I'll wear out the words 'I love you'. And 'You're beautiful'. And we'll get up and promise to spend forever together. Even though that's hardly enough time for me to have my fill of you."

"Oh shut up," Rose whispered as she flung herself at her Human Doctor.

"Is-that-a-yes?" he managed in between kisses.

"Yes," she breathed, "Today. Tomorrow. Everyday. Forever. Yes."


End file.
